076842299X_ch1 by Destiny Image

GOD’S A RMOR BEARER Running with Your Pastor’s Vision

TERRY NANCE

© Copyright 2005 – Terry Nance All rights reserved.This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America.This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, the Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.© Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Scriptures marked KJV, AMP and The Message, are taken from the King James Version, Amplified Bible and The Message. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some Bible publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized.We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules.

Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” ISBN 0-7684-2299-X For Worldwide Distribution Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9/ 09 08 07 06 05 This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774. For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Or reach us on the Internet:

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Dedication I dedicate this book to my lovely wife. Kim, you have stood faithfully with me for 26 years in seeing the call of God fulfilled in my life. I could never have made it without you.You have been a strength and encouragement to me in all I have ever attempted to do.You are a great woman of God and I love you very much. Love will keep us together.

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 CHAPTER 1 IT’S TIME TO… Get Plugged Into the Power Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 CHAPTER 2 IT’S TIME TO… Get Out of the Comfort Zone and Develop the Gift Zone . . . . . . . .27 CHAPTER 3 IT’S TIME TO… Step Into the Challenge Zone and Run to the End Zone . . . . . . . . .49 CHAPTER 4 IT’S TIME TO… Get Ready to Become a Voice and Not an Echo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 CHAPTER 5 IT’S TIME TO… Stand With Your Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 CHAPTER 6 IT’S TIME TO… Become Kingdom-Minded Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 CHAPTER 7 IT’S TIME TO… Release the Members Into Their Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Introduction

In 1983 I was faithfully working in a local church as an associate minister and mission director. My wife and I were excited to see the first mission students being released and sent out from our church. It gave me a great feeling of satisfaction that the mission school we had raised up was producing what we had envisioned it to do. Several months after our first group of students had been sent out, I was relaxing at home one night with my wife.We had been visiting about the future and what we felt the Lord was leading us to do. As I sat there I suddenly began to sense an urgency to go and pray. I felt the Lord had something to say to me and I knew I must get alone. I went into my living room, sat in a chair and simply asked the Lord, “What are you saying to me?” I heard in my heart the Lord say, “Go read the story of David and Saul.” I quickly turned in my Bible to First Samuel and read through the first 16 chapters. As I read I came to First Samuel 16:21, “So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly and he became his armorbearer.” As soon as I read that scripture I heard the Lord say to me in my heart, “I have called you to be an armorbearer to your pastor.” At first I did not understand what that meant, but as I reread about Jonathan and his armorbearer I began to see what God was saying to me. I knew the Lord was giving me an assignment that night to stand with my leader and be a support to him.When I began to realize this I slipped out of my chair and laid on the floor. I cried out to the Lord and said, “Now Lord wait just a minute, what about my vision for the world that

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you gave me before I ever met my pastor?”The Lord said that night for me to lay down my vision and take up the Vision of the House. He said He would take care of the vision I had for the world. He reminded me of His example in coming to the earth. He laid down His desires and took up the Father’s, and God highly exalted Him. What you make happen for someone else God will make happen for you. What is the Vision of the House? It is the vision the Lord has placed in the heart of your pastor. When God gives an assignment to build a church He will always place a calling in the heart of a man or woman of God to birth that local church.With the calling comes a word that will be the mission statement for that local body.That is the Vision of the House. Once it is communicated it is time for those who are a part of that local church to get plugged in and begin to use their gifts and talents. When you place your vision under the Vision of the House you will begin to see the Holy Spirit bring to pass what God has put inside your heart. This commitment will be one of the major keys God will use to unlock your future. My wife and I are a testimony of this revelation. We have seen God fulfill our hearts’ desire when we made a decision to run with the vision of our local church. I believe the local church is God’s idea and not man’s. God has set the local church in these last days to be one of the major players in this last day harvest. I do believe this is the hour of the local church. My prayer is that, as you read this book, you will be challenged and stirred to get plugged into your church like you never have before. I pray God stirs your heart to stand with your pastor and to make a new commitment to do the will of God in your life. As you join heart and soul with the other members in your church you will begin to witness God’s power in an unprecedented way. You are called to be not just a member, but a minister. May God bless you and take you to a new level in your spiritual walk. May you become a participator and not just a spectator.

Chapter 1

IT’S TIME TO… GET PLUGGED INTO THE POWER SOURCE Have you ever considered how far faithfulness could take you? We show up at our jobs each day, not always seeing what our faithfulness is creating for our futures.We go to church each week, sometimes not realizing the character, power, and stability that our faithful actions are producing—not only in our lives, but also in lives throughout the world. Have you ever considered that faithfulness to your local church touches lives throughout the world? It does; and as you read this book, you’ll understand why. In fact, your total understanding of faithfulness will probably change. Faithfulness is a spiritual law that when activated, produces tangible evidence in our lives.With every person who has accomplished something great in the world or in the Church, you’ll find that person was faithful to something. Their mark of greatness began with and continued through a lifestyle of faithfulness. William Bradford, one of the most influential founders of America, left a matchless legacy of Christian ethics and political leadership that began with a seemingly small act of faithful church attendance. His life exemplifies Luke 16:10a (KJV),“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” Bradford, born in Austerfield, England in 1590, was orphaned at a young age. He spent the remainder of his childhood shuffled from one relative to another. At age 12 he began attending the Puritan Church in Babworth. Despite the beatings he received for attending, he walked eight

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miles each Sunday to go to church. It was this commitment to faithfulness that provided the momentum of Bradford’s life. By the age of 17, Bradford was a fully committed member of the church. Soon persecution arose against the group for their radical separatist views. As the rest of the congregation successfully fled from England, Bradford was caught and imprisoned for his beliefs. After a short prison stay, Bradford was successful in his flight from England, and joined the rest of his church in Holland.Although they could now worship according to their own beliefs and were free from the Church of England’s restrictions, Bradford and the congregation spent the next 12 years living in near poverty. Religious persecution followed these faithful believers and they found that all of Europe would be intolerant of their beliefs. There was no safe haven, and it appeared there was only one way out. Through God-given passion, the congregation made the decision to leave everything they knew, and to relocate in the Americas. Bradford, now 30 years old with a wife and young son, shouldered much of the administrative and organizational work involved in the Mayflower voyage. He sacrificed so much—forced to leave his son in Europe and the death of his wife while on the journey to America—to ensure the freedom of religious worship for his people. Arriving in New England (not northern Virginia, as was their original destination), Bradford assisted in drafting the Mayflower Compact. This document, one of the most important in America’s history, was the first civic law of the emerging nation. In the name of God, Amen.We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith…. Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant

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the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the eleventh of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord, King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fiftyfourth. Anno Domini, 1620 (emphasis added). Bradford’s was the second name signed under this declaration. One of the original founders of the Plymouth Colony, Bradford governed the colony for nearly 36 years after the death of John Carver, until his own death in 1657. Bradford is sometimes called “the father of American History” because of his work, The History Of Plymouth Plantation, detailing the Mayflower voyage. It is almost an understatement to say that William Bradford’s life influenced scores of people. His political and administrative skills were the foundation upon which the nation of America was built. His courageous sacrifice in the pursuit of religious freedom is the backbone of freedoms that many nations enjoy today. His perseverance and vision still inspires many to reach their dreams and visions. These characteristics were developed during his early years, when the only control he had over his life was a steadfast faithfulness to his church. op mn op mn op

Some time ago I purchased an expensive dual voltage hair dryer for international travel. My family knows how much I like it and that it is off

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limits to everyone but me. Due to the kind of hair I have, it is necessary that I use a hair dryer every day.This can only be appreciated if you could see me when I first wake up in the morning! This dryer was designed to meet my need and I never leave home without it. However, no matter how much I paid for it, no matter how well designed or how well-crafted it is, no matter how much I enjoy it, this hair dryer will not work unless it is plugged in. I can talk about how nice it is, but if I don’t plug it in, it is nothing but an expensive, useless piece of plastic. Many Christians today can be compared to this hair dryer. God designs them with gifts, talents, and abilities, but because they are not plugged in, they sit on the shelf never doing what God designed them to do. THE LOCAL CHURCH IS LIKE

ELECTRICAL OUTLET

Like electricity, the Holy Spirit is the conduit to the power of God. Just like electricity flows through wires waiting to bring life to appliances, the Holy Spirit is always flowing, waiting to bring life to anyone who will plug in. The local church is the outlet the Holy Spirit uses to train and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. God places leadership over us to prepare us to fulfill His calling on our lives. However, it doesn’t matter how much the Holy Spirit is flowing, or how great and anointed the outlet (church) is—like electricity through wire—nothing happens until we plug in. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). The definition of the word forsaking is “to desert or leave.” People desert the local church for many reasons: • They are offended. • They are rebellious and cannot submit to spiritual authority.

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• They have allowed the spirit of the world to be a stronger influence in their lives than the Spirit of God. • They have been under abusive spiritual authority. In most cases, these deserters have backslidden and most don’t even know it. I accept the fact that there are some legitimate reasons why people have left a particular church. I also realize that there are some leaders who are so controlling that they end up hurting and abusing God’s people. In this book I am not dealing with these abusive situations. I am dealing with people who cannot submit their lives into the biblically-ordained care of another.They may not see themselves this way, but they are deserters of the faith because they have no accountability in their lives.They lead a life totally ruled by circumstances, feelings, emotions, and ultimately, satan. The Word of God gives us many reasons to attend and respect our local churches.The Lord considers the church to be: • An assembly (Acts 19:39). • A spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). • The house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). • The pillar of God (1 Timothy 3:15). • Ground of the Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). • The habitation of God (Ephesians 2:22). • The building or holy temple (Ephesians 2:20-21). • The flock of God (1 Peter 5:2). • The Bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2).

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THE LOCAL CHURCH KEEPS US

VICTORY

An individual came to see me one day and shared a beautiful testimony of his salvation and deliverance from an extremely sinful lifestyle. It was shortly after his conversion that he shared all the things in which he had been involved. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, I told him that in order for him to remain free of the old sin, he would have to be in church every time the doors opened. Even if he had to walk there, he must make church attendance a priority. That was over ten years ago.This person did just what the Holy Spirit had me tell him to do and he is still walking faithfully with the Lord, heavily involved in church. Just recently he reminded me of the conversation and thanked me for that counsel. He said he had made the local church a priority and the determination to stay in church kept him victorious. He is now helping others to get free and stay free. Although I understand that character and gifts are developed in every arena of our life, they are reinforced through involvement in the local church.The local church is vital to our Christian lives because it is: • Where we learn the foundational truths of the Word of God. • Where we learn character, stability, and faithfulness. • Where we discover our gifts and talents. • Where we discover the unique anointing on our lives. • Where relationships are established that sharpen us. • Where we learn to respect and honor the God-called leadership placed in our lives. • Where we learn how to submit to authority. • Where our faith in God is matured.

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• Where we learn to seek God. • Where we learn to appreciate our country and honor our flag. • Where we witness the power of God. • Where we learn the power of forgiveness. • Where we raise our children and train them in the things of God. • The place we call “God’s House.”

THE LOCAL CHURCH IS THE ARK THAT SAVES THE HOUSEHOLD By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household… (Hebrews: 11:7). I was raised in church.We had a golden rule in the Nance house: If the church doors are unlocked, we are inside. I learned early in life that church attendance was not an option. I remember as a child growing up in church and attending vacation Bible school. I remember pledging allegiance to the American flag, the Christian flag and to the Bible. I remember times as a young boy when my twin brother and I were taken outside and disciplined for misbehaving in church.Today people would scream “child abuse,” but it taught me respect for God’s house and the Word of God. It was in church that I was saved. It was in church where I witnessed other people coming to Jesus and began to experience the moving of the Holy Spirit. It was in church where I preached my first sermon. When I turned 15, I went through a period of rebellion. I did not want to go to church and I didn’t think I should have to go. I was running from the call of God on my life. I tested my parents, but found out that I was going to church whether I liked it or not.

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My mother was a strong intercessor and she spent a lot of time in her prayer closet for me. One day I told her, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I thought that was a good statement until she replied,“Well, if the horse stands at the trough long enough he will get thirsty.” She was right. I stood there long enough to discover that the waters were sweet and I decided I wanted more. During my teenage years I stayed out of trouble (away from drugs and alcohol) because every Friday night we were at church. Our pastor had a youth night every Friday to keep us around the church and off the streets. Those times impacted my life and kept me on the right course. The results of a nationwide survey by Barna Research Group shows that adults who regularly attended church as children, are much more likely to be involved in church-based and personal spiritual activities than those who infrequently attended church when they were young.The study shows that 61 percent of adults who regularly attend church attended as a child, while most of the people who did not attend church as children still do not attend (78 percent).1 In church we taste and see that the Lord is good and we desire more. Look at the pockets of revival that are going on right now in our world. Where are they? They are in the local church. Without the local church there is no place for the harvest of souls to be brought in and nurtured. THE LOCAL CHURCH BRINGS

IN THE

WORLD HARVEST

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is fast approaching.We can clearly see that day is closer now than ever. I believe it is at our door.The Holy Spirit is crying out for His people to get in their places, to get plugged into the outlet He designed as a conduit to His power—the local church.When 1. Barna Research Group, Ltd. “Adults Who Attended Church As Children Show Lifelong Effects.” Lasting Impact of Attending Church as a Child. Copyright November 5, 2001. Date accessed: October 20, 2003 <http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseiD=101&Reference=B>

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we are plugged into the outlet, that power will flow through us to touch and change lives. God is speaking right now to many pastors and church leaders to build bigger buildings to hold the harvest.The harvest will be bigger than any of us can ever dream.The Lord said to me one day,“You cannot stop to build barns during harvest.” Every farmer knows it is too late to build then.This is why there are building programs going on all over the country.As church members we need to recognize the importance of a building program in conjunction with our pastor’s vision. Are you one of the members who has been in the way instead of helping to make a way? It is time to get behind our leaders and realize God has raised them up to lead and direct the local church. Where there is no vision, the people perish…(Proverbs 29:18 KJV). When people don’t get plugged into the local church, they are not hooked up with God’s vision. The New King James Version of the above Scripture says that where there is no vision, “the people cast off restraint.” These people are actually running wild with no direction. The only way we can fulfill God’s plan for our life is to get plugged into a church with a vision. It restrains us in a godly way, by keeping us focused and running in the right direction. Of course, another definition of perish is “to be destroyed or ruined.” If we have no direction, we will be ruined. The focus of this book is getting plugged into the local church, so I will refer to this issue only once. To effectively “get plugged into” the local church, each person must first be “plugged into” Christ. The apostle Paul understood this spiritual reality and dedicated the totality of his ministry to getting people “plugged into” (united to) Christ. He understood that if they were plugged into the Lord Jesus then a flow of grace could be created that would enable them to effectively be true members of the Body of Christ. Anything that interrupts that flow will hinder the believer in his ability to relate to himself, his leaders and others in the

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Body of Christ. I cannot emphasize this issue enough. Guard carefully your relationship to Christ. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5). My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). Now, when we are plugged into the local church, we are plugged into its vision.With no vision we are really out there all alone, with no spiritual support. It is much like being marooned on a desert island. Many things would be taking place around the world—new leaders, wars, natural disasters or technological breakthroughs—but we would be ignorant of all these things because we were isolated.When we are hooked up with a local church, we become aware of how the Spirit of God is moving and what is happening in the spirit realm. New worlds of spiritual reality are opened to us as we begin to relate effectively to the local church.These are things that we cannot discover on our own. We need to answer the call and realize the harvest is ready. God is pouring out His Spirit in advance of the harvest. We cannot afford to be out of our place and let the harvest rot in the fields. What we need is commitment. It is God’s time to show His glory.We will find it in the local church. It is there that God is raising up people to gather the harvest. He is looking for people who are willing to step up and take responsibility for their place in His plan.And His plan always includes working through a local church. God help us if we miss this opportunity. I do not want to meet Jesus and have Him ask me why I was someone who resisted what He wanted to do in the church. I want to be able to say, “I ran with the vision of the house that God told me to plug into.”When I get to Heaven I want to hear the Lord say,“Well done, good and faithful servant,” instead of,“Well?”

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Many people don’t want to be a part of the church until it changes or the people in it change.We need to pray and ask God to change us.A children’s minister I know told me a story with an interesting twist. He was praying one day and his prayer was, “Lord bless me and change them.” Suddenly, the Lord stopped him and said, “You have it backwards.” The minister clearly saw his error and changed his prayer to, “Lord bless them and change me.” People with this attitude will see the power of God move through them to touch others. We must be willing to pray that kind of prayer and adopt that kind of attitude. Our prayer should be,“God, bless my church, my pastor and spiritual leaders, and change me.” If we will ask God to change us, we will begin to sense the Holy Spirit in a fresh way, and God will bring about a change in our lives. THE LOCAL CHURCH IS THE INSTRUMENT TO DISPLAY HIS GLORY To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places…(Ephesians 3:10). God’s plan is to allow satan’s kingdom to stand back and look in awe at the wisdom of God displayed in and through the Church.You and I are destined to be a part of this Church. We each have a measure of the wisdom of God in us.When we come together in unity, it becomes a mighty force in the earth that cannot be stopped.When Jesus walked the earth, He was the only Body of Christ at that time. He was not just an apostle, He was the Apostle; He was not just a prophet, He was the Prophet; He didn’t flow in just one of the gifts of healing, He flowed in all of the gifts of the Spirit. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure [to Jesus] (John 3:34).

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THE LOCAL CHURCH NEEDS ALL

US TO TAKE OUR PLACE

Jesus had the Spirit without measure; He had it all.When Jesus ascended to the Father, He then distributed those gifts to mankind. Jesus has given each of us an assignment and a place in His Body. Each of us has a part to play. If I do my part and you do your part and the rest of the Body does its part, we will make up an effective and powerful Church in the earth. We will see the full demonstration of the Spirit of God in the earth. You are in the earth for a purpose. Now is the time to get with Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program. Commit to the assignment God has given your local church.Your contribution to that vision will encourage others as it also enlarges that vision into new dimensions. Be the part God called you to be and watch what will happen.True happiness comes when you are following the will of God for your life. There is nothing more exciting than being part of a local church and seeing that church reach new levels in the glory of God. That is how the Holy Spirit impacts our cities. As you get plugged in you will learn how to function in harmony with the vision of the local church and realize how to synchronize your life with those around you.Then, you will be amazed at the things you will discover as God begins to give you a vision for your life, and you will also be surprised how that vision complements rather than competes with the local church vision. WE MUST BRING OUR VISION UNDER THE VISION

OF THE

HOUSE

Pastor Barry Cook (from Oceanside, California) and I were recently in Mexico City ministering on leadership. While I was teaching, the Holy Spirit revealed a powerful truth to him about the vision of the house. Later that night as we discussed it, the Lord began to unveil more. An influential Shunammite woman invited Elisha into her house for a meal whenever he passed by. Recognizing he was a man of God, she and

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her husband made the decision to build an apartment for him on the top of their home. And she said to her husband,“Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there” (2 Kings 4:9-10). After enjoying the comfort of the room, Elisha sent for the woman so he could express his gratitude for the love and compassion she had shown him. He asked what could be done for her. He wanted the desires of her heart to be fulfilled.When he discovered she had no children, he prophesied to her the birth of a son, satisfying the longing of her heart. There are several crucial aspects of this story revealing how we, by supporting the vision of the house, can bring our own heart’s desire to pass. 1.The Shunammite woman perceived Elisha was a man of God. If we are going to run with the vision of our local church, we will have to get a revelation of our pastor as a man of God. Someone once asked Dr. Barry Cook, “What do I need to call you? Do I call you ‘Pastor,’ ‘Doctor,’ ‘Bishop,’ ‘Brother Barry,’ or just ‘Barry’?” Pastor Cook looked at the young man and said, “Call me by whatever name I speak into your life. If I am your pastor then call me that; if I am doctor then call me that; or if I am just Barry call me that. It is up to you.” I can demand respect in the form of a title, but it will be of no value if I have to demand it. I can speak into someone’s life only at the level they will receive me. If we are going to move into the position God has for us in the last days, we must perceive the men and women of God who have been placed around us and give them the right to speak into our lives. It all starts with recognizing the gifts before us.

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2.The Shunammite woman began construction of the prophetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room by removing a wall. Just like she removed a wall in her home to accommodate the man of God, we must make the decision to allow our pastor to be what he is destined to be in our lives, and the walls will come down.Walls of hurt, rejection, confusion, insecurity, fear, intimidation, or whatever we may have inside, must come down! When these walls are removed, room is made for a new, fresh anointing to come into our house. If the pastor is free to fulfill his calling, that freedom will open up doors for you to fulfill your calling. 3.The Shunammite woman built Elisha an upper chamber over the top of her house. Placing the chamber over their home was symbolic of taking the vision of the man of God and placing it over their lives.The vision of the house became their vision when they placed it on top of theirs. Until we make the same decision to make the vision of our local church a priority, it will never truly be ours.We have to take it and create the proper spiritual place for it in our lives. 4.The Shunammite woman furnished the room with a bed, chair, table and a lamp. The bed represents a place of rest or restoration. When we make the vision of the house our own, we open ourselves for God to begin a restoration process in our lives.That restoration process will create an open heaven of blessings and success in every area of our lives. It will bring us into new and exciting places in our relationship with the Lord. The chair represents us taking our place and position in the Body of Christ. I believe once we adopt the vision of the house as our own, we will find our ideal place of service within the local church as well as new doors

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of opportunity to serve God in the community around us, and for some it will open doors of ministry to the nations. However, the chair also symbolizes authority. I see it much like a progressive graduation. Once we have found our place of service and ministry within the church—and submitted to its vision—then the Word of God will continually work through us and character can be built within us. Life lessons—lessons that will come in no other way than by service or ministry through the church—strengthen our integrity and mature our hearts. From the building of that character, integrity, and maturity, spiritual authority is birthed. And with that authority, God can trust us to remedy the situations and circumstances placed before us. The table represents the spiritual food and nourishment that comes only by the Word and the Spirit released in our local church. Each believer should develop the ability to feed himself spiritually.We should, daily, be giving ourselves to prayer, meditation and study of the Scriptures. It is not enough to think that we can survive spiritually by one sermon a week. Having said that, we do need to understand that God has placed into the church pastors/teachers who are especially equipped to enrich our spiritual diet.The teaching of the Word by their ministry will enrich your spiritual diet as they supply you rich, nutritional food from God’s Word. This spiritual feast is prepared by the pastor and his gifts, and by the many guest ministers operating in a variety of the fivefold gifts—the apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher and evangelist. The feast is presented by the variety of ministries made available for our families: The children’s ministries, the youth ministries, the single and married ministries, women’s and men’s ministries, ministry to the elderly, prison and jail ministries, the music ministries. All the ministries within the church create a sumptuous, bountiful table. Your needs can be met by pulling up to the table.When we allow our pastors and leaders the right to feed our spirits, they will lead us into a deeper walk with the Lord.

GOD’S ARMORBEARER

The lamp purely represents the revelation that will flow into our lives when we give the Holy Spirit His proper priority. These revelations will open the heavens over our lives and will spread into our families. 5. Elisha was blessed by this woman’s support and hospitality. To bless her in return, he asked what she desired. Although the woman never told Elisha the desires of her heart, God knew them. And due to her obedience, she gave birth to a son. Reproduction was the result of the Shunammite woman allowing the vision of God’s man to become her vision. God’s will and goal for our lives is reproduction. When we take the vision of the house as our own, we will give birth to many sons and daughters for the Kingdom of God. Everything I am sharing has been a reality in my own life. God has birthed, by His Spirit, the avenue to establish our lives and ministries in the earth. That avenue is through the local church and its leadership. God is challenging us to a new level of thinking. Let’s take the challenge.